Safety-stop for railways.



, PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

B. 0. ROWIELL. SAFETY STOP FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, 1903. RENEWED A23. 11. 1904.

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PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

B. O. ROWELL.

SAFETY STOP FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.6,1903. RENEWED APR. 11.1904.

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No. 776,146. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904. B. G. ROWELL.

SAFETY STOP FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 6, 19os. RENEWED APR. 11. 1904.

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Lfzneasea: 17004370603 No. 776,146. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

.B. G. HOWELL. SAFETY STOP FOR RAILWAYSf I 1 u l u W566. Inventor: M7/15, MK M Q.-..1z1

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Patented November 29, 190 1.

BENTON G. RONVIGLL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SfliIFIETY-STOP FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,146, dated November29, 1904.

Application filed August 6, 1903. Renewed April 11, 1904. Serial No.202,672. (No model.)

To a 1071 0171 it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENTON O. ROWELL, of Chicago, Cook county, and Stateof Illinois, have invented an Improved Safety-Stop for Railways, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Safety-stops have long been well known, and consist, essentially, of aninstrumentupon the track and another instrument upon the train whichcooperate so that when the track instrument-is. set at Hanger it willoperate the train instrument, and thereby apply the brakes of a iassingtrain; but when the track instrument is set at safety it will notoperate the train instrument. My invention relates toapparatus of thissort. its object is to do away with a well-known practical objection tothis apparatus arising from the fact that at times an accidentalobstruction on the track was equivalent to the track instrument atdanger and,operating the train instrument, stopped the train when thetrack was clear.

To this end my invention is an apparatus consisting of a specializedtrain instrument which will operate only when in conjunction withaspecialized track instrument at danger, my new principle being that thetrain instrument consists, essentially, of an automatic lock which holdsit in an inoperative position except when that lock is unlocked by apeculiar action of the track instrument, which action is impossible withany accidental obstruction on the track, as will now be more fullydescribed by reference to the accompanying drawings, making part hereof,and in which I have shown the best form in whichl have contemplatedapplying the principle.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating a portion oftrack and train equipped with my improved apparatus consisting of myspecialized track and train instruments. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevationof my specialized train instrument fast to one Figs. 3, i, 5, 6, 7, and8 are details of the train instrument explained be low. Figs. 9 and 10are a plan and side clevation of my specialized track instrument. Figs.11 and 12 are details of this track instrument, explained below.

My improved train instrument is not substantially unlike traininstruments long well known in that valve A when lifted from its seat (iagainst the force of spring a is held open by a catch, (shown in Figs.2, 3, and 4,) and thereby vents the train-pipe and applies the brakes inthe well-known manner, nor in that valve A is lifted from its seat bythe action of a slide B when that slide is carried over a trackinstrument set to danger, and my improved track instrument (shown inFigs. 9 and 10) is not substantially different from that long well knownin that when set to dangefl it automatically lifts a slide in the traininstrument, and thereby opens a vent-valve, venting the train-pipe andapplying the brakes; but my improved train instrument is radicallyunlike any heretofore known in that the valve-operating means is locked,so that the valve will not be opened exceptby a specialized trackinstrument, and my improved track instrument is also radically unlikeany heretofore known in that it embodies means for unlocking its traininstrument in order to open the vent-valve.

The casing D of the train instrument is adjustably attached to bracket1), as shown, for example, in Fig. 2, and that bracket .1) is such thatit can be made fast to one of the trucks, as indicated in Fig. 1. Thisis in order that the lower edge of slide B can be held at asubstantially lixed distance from the track until it is raised by thetrack instrument. Slide B is locked by bolt 7) acting against shoulder7) and cannot be lifted to open valve A until bolt 6 is cleared from theshoulder, and this clearance is eli'ected by the slide B, whose loweredge projects a little below the lower edge of slide 13, so that aslight lifting of slide B will cause slide B to act on bolt through pinZ) and swing bolt Z) clear of shoulder 12, the slot 6 in slide B firstswinging bolt 1) on its axis 7)" and next holding bolt 7) clear ofshoulder 7). It will now be clear that a train instrument thusspecialized requires a track instrument which will raise slide B farenough to unlock slide B and then raise slide B far enough to open valveA. The slant of the bars F F of the track instrument when in theposition shown in ,10 may be made ust sui'licient to lift slide B tocause it to unlock slide B,

when the train instrument will be operated whenever it is carried overthe bars F F of the track instrument in the direction shown by the arrowin Fig. 1; but no surface not hav ing a close approach to thisparticular slant can be relied upon to clear bolt 7) from its shoulder bby first lifting slide B. Hence it is not only highly desirable, butpractically essential, to support the bars F F when the track instrumentis set to danger, so that the bars F F may yield to undue pressure, asnow will be more fully explained.

It will be seen on reference to Figs. 1 and 10 that it is desirable as apractical matter to make the slant of bar F (or bar F if the train betraveling forward in the opposite direction to that indicated in Fig. 1)slightly too steep, or so that slide B shall press upon the slantingsurface of that bar before bolt 7) is cleared from its shoulders 71, andin that case the bars F F will be depressed against the force of thesprings f, which hold them yieldingly in this position at danger, and asthey are thus depressed the slant is varied until the right degree ofslant is attained to lift slide B, and thus unlock slide B. Also thisyielding support to bars F F when at danger prevents all undue strainupon the track instrument, for that strain can never exceed the force ofthe springs f, and this is in itself a highly-desirable feature of myinvention, and, thirdly, this yielding support of bars F F permits theuse of the brackets Ur Gr in front and rear of the train instrument, sothat when the train is run in the direction of the arrow in Fig. lbracket G will simply depress bars F F, and these bars will immediatelyswing back to danger and operate the train to a stop, but not untilbracket G has passed over bars F F, depressing them, as did bracket G,but allowingthem to spring back to danger, whereupon if the train be runback over the track instrument bracket G will again depress bars F F,but it will also swing hook into engagement with catch 9, and thus holdthe bars F F depressed, and the train instrument will pass over bars F Fwithout being operated, and bracket G will pass over bars F F while theyare held depressed by hook g and catch 9; but should a train travel overthe track instrument in the direction of the arrow while its bars F Fare held depressed by the hook g and catch g bracket G will swing hook gaway from catch g and the bars will spring into the danger position andoperate the train instrument, as before. When the bars F F are depressedand shifted to safety by the motion of rock-shaft H and its arm b, asusual, the springs f f are not affected, although the hook g is carriedclear of catch gthat is, bars F F of this specialized track instrumentare controlled by rock-shaft H and its arm it in the manner long wellknown.

Vhile the operation will be plain without further description, it may beadded that when shaft H is revolved to shift the track instrument fromdanger to safety, or vice versa, the axis of shaft H need not be moved;but when the bars F F are raised at their inner ends and pressure isapplied to depress the bars F F against the force of springs f the axisof shaft H is depressed and the hook g carried toward its catch g thebars F F will be held depressed against the force of springs f in spiteof the fact that the arm 71, of rock-shaft H is in its danger position,and yet when arm it is revolved to its safety position it will carryhook g away from its catch g and depress bars F F to their safetyposition, leaving those bars free to be shifted to danger by bringingarm it to that position and also leaving bars F F free to be depressedagainst the force of springs f.

IVhat I claim as my invention is 1. An improved safety-stop apparatuscomprising a train instrument; a track instrument; a locking device onthe train instrument; and an unlocking device on the track instrument;each constructed and arranged to cooperate with the others substantiallyas specified.

2. In a safety-stop apparatus a train instrument comprising a slide forsetting the train instrument into operation to stop the train; a lockingdevice for locking that slide, and a second slide for automaticallyunlocking the looking device, all substantially as specified.

3. In a safety-stop apparatus a track instrument comprising bars eachpivoted to a base; springs supporting the inner ends of those bars in anelevated position; and means for elevating and depressing the inner endsof those bars, cooperating with the springs when the inner ends of thebars are elevated,where by undue pressure on the bars will depress themsubstantially as and for the purposes specified.

L. In a safety-sto p apparatus a track instrument comprising bars, eachpivoted to a base; springs supporting the inner ends of these bars in anelevated position; means for elevating and depressing the inner ends ofthese bars cooperating with the springs when the inner ends of the barsare elevated; and an automatic device to hold the bars in theirdepressed condition against the force of the springs.

BENTON G. ROVVELL.

WVitn esses:

G. J. DE BERARD, Jr., Urno. IV. RIs'rINE, Jr.

